Marco Rubio

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I commend Heather Phillips, the Okaloosa County Teacher of the Year from Bluewater Elementary School in Niceville, FL. Heather knows that being an educator is never predictable, and she thrives on the ever-changing nature of her profession. Heather was humbled to be considered among such an immensely talented group of educators and considers it an honor to represent her school, and district, as its Teacher of the Year. She loves seeing the world through the eyes of children and allows their energy to influence her focus on what truly matters. Her teaching experiences in Japan and Hong Kong helped her appreciate diversity, and she works to implement these experiences in the classroom. Heather is a 15-year educator who currently teaches fourth grade. She is an active member of her church in Niceville and enjoys being part of the community. I am pleased to congratulate Heather for her dedication to teaching her students. I extend my best wishes to Heather and look forward to learning of her continued success in her future endeavors.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor Lenora Henderson, the Washington County Teacher of the Year from Chipley High School in Chipley, FL. When Lenora began teaching chemistry, she quickly learned that her students became bored with lectures. They were more interested and performed better when they were doing more than just listening. She saw they loved being out of their seats, talking, and trying to figure things out on their own. As a result, she designed her lesson plans to include such activity. Over the past few years, she developed a curriculum with the hopes of eventually flipping her classroom. Flipping means she has removed lectures from part of the curriculum and reserved that time for higher- order thinking skills and project-based learning. Her regular and honors chemistry classes are partially flipped, while her advanced placement chemistry class is completely flipped. Her students use livescribes and a livebinder to retrieve background information before coming to class to discuss assignments. This allows more time in class for them to complete individual hands-on activities, laboratories, and cooperative learning activities. Lenora was excited to receive the Teacher of the Year recognition, saying she has been waiting for a long time, but stated in her acceptance speech she knew this would happen on God's timing, not her own. Her faith plays a key role when it comes to teaching. She has been with the Washington County School District for 12 years. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Lenora for all of the hard work she does for her students. I extend my best wishes to her and look forward to hearing of her future endeavors.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Lindsey Borcherding, the Okeechobee County Teacher of the Year from Yearling Middle School in Okeechobee, FL. Lindsey teaches seventh grade math at Yearling Middle School and said her students were really excited and supportive of her nomination. While accepting the award, Lindsey thanked the people who have supported and helped her throughout her teaching career, especially her students. Lindsey stated that none of this would be possible without the help of countless others, and she is grateful to be a part of the lives of her students and colleagues. She said it was an exciting and emotional moment and was incredibly honored to be named the winner. I would like to congratulate Lindsey for her commitment to teaching her students throughout the years. I extend my best wishes to her and look forward to hearing of her continued success.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Lynsee Dicks, the Suwannee County Teacher of the Year from Branford Elementary School in Branford, FL. Lynsee's former students say her passion, dedication and determination pushed them to the edge and then convinced them to jump in. This passion for learning motivates those around her to work hard in the classroom. Lynsee's determination has shown students how to persevere even when the challenge seemed overwhelming. At the Teacher of the Year awards ceremony, Lynsee felt overwhelmed and humbled to hear the firsthand accounts from her students on how she inspired them. She thanked God and believes He makes teachers special in Heaven, crafting them with hands to serve in an array of capacities and to be ready at any moment for anything. Lynsee is currently a fifth-grade teacher of writing and social studies in Suwannee County. She has been instructing students for the past 14 years in grades ranging from second to eighth. At the University of Florida, she earned a bachelor's degree in advertising and holds a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Florida Gulf Coast University. While working as a substitute teacher, she fell in love with educating children and became certified through a transition-to-teaching program in Florida. I express my best wishes to Lynsee for her dedication to her students and look forward to hearing of her continued success in the years ahead.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor Tammy Chabot, the Collier County Teacher of the Year from Gulf Coast High School in Naples, FL. Fittingly, Tammy was notified of her Teacher of the Year award while she was teaching one of her classes. Her students and colleagues praise Tammy for her dedication to ensuring those who enter her classroom are able to achieve success and gain a better understanding of science. Tammy also seeks to establish a relationship with her students' parents, with many congratulating her for winning this award. Outside of the classroom, Tammy and her colleagues note the importance of student involvement in clubs and activities. Tammy teaches at Gulf Coast High School in the Science Department. She has served as a sponsor for her school's Girl Up! Club and was named a Discovery Education STEAM Award winner in 2016. I extend my best wishes to Tammy for her hard work throughout the years and look forward to hearing of her continued success in the upcoming years.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor Lynn Mongiardini, the Charlotte County Teacher of the Year from Sallie Jones Elementary School in Punta Gorda, FL. Lynn received the Teacher of the Year award because of her dedication to her students to equip them with the necessary skills needed to achieve success in both the classroom and real world. She is a member of the district core team responsible for the roll out of the comprehensive literacy framework. Her passion is finding ways to improve students' thinking around academic and social challenges by actively contributing to the growth mindset in professional learning communities and its philosophies. As both a parent and a teacher, Lynn understands the needs of her students and their families. She uses this understanding to create a nurturing classroom environment that fosters the highest level of learning. Lynn has been teaching in Charlotte County schools since 2006. She has served as an educator for the second, third, and fifth grades at Peace River Elementary, Myakka River Elementary, and currently at Sallie Jones Elementary School. I extend my best wishes to Lynn for her hard work and dedication to her students and look forward to hearing of her continued success in the upcoming years.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor Joan Kennett, the Walton County Teacher of the Year from South Walton High School in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Joan was in shock and humbled after she was named Teacher of the Year. She considers it an honor and privilege to represent every teacher and student in Walton County. She is a mentor to other teachers and an advocate for developing best classroom practices. In the spring of 2017, Joan's students scored 97 percent and ranked fifth Statewide on the biology State test. She has also been awarded grants from Walton Education Foundation and the National Defense Industrial Association ACCELerator Program to enrich students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Besides helping her students in the classroom, Joan also assists with various school organizations. Joan motivates student leaders within the school and community as the Student Government Association sponsor and helps with projects such as the Senior Citizen Prom. Joan earned her bachelor of science degree from Kennesaw State College and received her gifted credentials from West Georgia State College. She has taught in Georgia, Indiana, and Florida, and has now taught biology for 27 years, with 5 years at South Walton High School. I congratulate Joan for receiving this important recognition after decades of teaching. I express my best wishes to her and look forward to hearing of her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor Amanda McGhee, the Calhoun County Teacher of the Year from Blountstown High School in Blountstown, FL. As a teenager, Amanda felt that high school was a place with caring teachers who took the time to teach the content while maintaining discipline and, at the same time, asking about your sick brother or sister at home. She thought these teachers seemed to know everything about their students and admired their notion to care for students. She is inspired every day to bring this same feeling of connectedness, hope, and a passion for learning to her students. She seeks to pass along what was given to her and seeks to validate, teach, and inspire the next generation. Amanda's colleagues say she teaches her students the foundational skills and then acts as a facilitator that nurtures their ideas to create video game apps, build robots, create videos, use 3D printers, and fly drones to record video. She also teaches her students strategies for critical thinking and involves them in project-based learning that allows them to apply their mathematical skills. Amanda has been a teacher at Blountstown High School for more than 10 years. Currently, she teaches advanced placement science, along with experimental science, digital media, and aerospace technologies in conjunction with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I would like to thank Amanda for her hard work to provide students with a successful learning environment. I extend my best wishes to her and look forward to hearing of her continued success in the coming years.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Cathy Felty, the Bay County Teacher of the Year from Margaret K. Lewis School in Panama City, FL. Cathy is the media guru at Margaret K. Lewis School, running the media center and striving to inspire her students to reach their full potential. According to her colleagues, the media center is the heart of Margaret K. Lewis School, and Cathy is its heartbeat. Many years ago, Cathy interned at an elementary school, and at the time, it was not what she was looking for. When a position opened up at Margaret K. Lewis, however, it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. She loves her job and focuses on doing what is best for her students. After winning this award, Cathy took a flight in an adversary T-38 aircraft, becoming the first teacher to do so. While she considers herself a thrill-seeker, she was more focused on how to share this unique experience with her students. She plans to use her flight as an opportunity to work with students, teaching them about flight and the military. Her desire to incorporate personal experiences into her lesson plans demonstrates why she was named Teacher of the Year. In sum, she is always thinking of how to better the lives of her students. Cathy has worked at Margaret K. Lewis School for 21 years and has been a pioneer for the creation of the school's media center. She specializes in helping and advocating for students with cognitive disabilities. I would like to extend my best wishes to Cathy for her dedication to teaching for more than two decades. I look forward to hearing of her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, when the story of the 21st century is written, there will be a couple chapters about Vladimir Putin's Russia, most certainly chapters about radical jihadists, and perhaps a few chapters on some other things we have yet to fully anticipate. There still remains over 80 years in this century, but there is no doubt that the vast majority of the story about the 21st century will be about the relationship between the United States and China. China-- the most populous nation on Earth, the second largest economy, and soon to be the largest economy on the planet--is a country that cannot be contained. It will be a major factor, both economically and geopolitically, as it should be for a nation of that magnitude and a culture that deep, with such long history. However, there are imbalances developing in that relationship, which I believe are threatening, not just to our Nation but ultimately to the peace and security and the stability of the world. It is on that topic I wanted to come to the floor and speak today and perhaps about some of the things we need to do about it. There was a consensus--which I would admit I, perhaps, from time to time, was a partaker in--that China was a country that would, eventually, as it grew more prosperous, become not just more democratic but more willing to live by the rules the world has conducted itself by since the end of the Second World War. Perhaps I wasn't as strong an adherent to that as some others. I have always been, of course, deeply suspicious of communism and autocratic nations, but there was still the belief that things could work out, and, eventually, at some point, both demographics and economics would force China to accept the benefits and the wisdom of a global economic order that has maintained the peace since the end of the Second World War. That was a terrible mistake. For, in fact, that is not how it has played out. For the better part of 30 years now, China has been allowed to systemically violate all of the rules of fair play in trade and commerce under the guise of saying, eventually, they are going to come around and behave. Not only has it not worked, it has allowed them to accelerate their economic growth to the detriment of American workers, American industry, and economies all over the world. Today, China is 3 years into a plan called Made in China 2025. What ``Made in China'' means, and what it is all about, is China intends to be the dominant power and dominate 10 key sectors of the future economy. They outline what all 10 of those are. Now, if that dominance was the result of being more innovative or spending more money on research or just being better, then we would have little to complain about. It would be on us to become more innovative ourselves and put more money into research and technology and these sorts of things. That is not what it is the product of. It is the product of cheating. It is the massive theft of intellectual property--the largest single transfer of wealth in the history of mankind stolen; stolen because they buy small companies that are developing some key component in a broader technology, and they take it for themselves; stolen because when an American company or any foreign company, for that matter, wants to do business in China and have access to their 1.4 billion people, you have to partner with them. They make you partner with a Chinese company. Your ``partner'' steals your secrets and then they kick you out and now they are your competitor. So think about it. They are able to make all of these advances without paying for them. Imagine if you had a business that was able to grow without having to pay for all the research that went to getting you to that point. This is what they do. It has allowed them to expand militarily, commercially, and economically to the point where we are at the edge of a very dangerous economic and geopolitical imbalance that needs to be addressed. It needs to be addressed now. We are almost out of time because 5 years from now, 6 years from now, or 3 years from now, it may be too late to address this. I want to reiterate what I said at the outset. This is not about containing China, nor is it about crippling China. It is about ensuring that we are going to have stability in the world; a stability in which our companies and their companies can partner, but they need to do so voluntarily; a stability where they cannot steal our secrets; a stability where they cannot violate the rules of trade but benefit from the rules of trade. That is what I hope to address through a new bill called the Fair Trade With China Enforcement Act, which I am introducing today. The first problem we want to address is that China is building its industrial capacity with U.S. intellectual property and technology. I have highlighted how they steal our technology and our intellectual property, and they use it. As an example, General Electric and Honeywell technology is being used in China by one of GE's and Honeywell's competitors. They didn't sell it to them. It was stolen from them. Two American companies had their secrets stolen, and now their competitor in China is using their technology that they spent money and time investing in. The solution to that problem is to pass a law that prohibits the sale of national security-sensitive technology and intellectual property to China. The bill would do this by directing the Department of Commerce to use its export control authority to block military capacity exports and components of Made in China 2025 exports to China. So, basically, the Department of Commerce would look at Made in China 2025. These are the sectors they are trying to dominate, and we would prohibit the sale or the transfer of intellectual property sensitive to those industries. That means American companies--even if they have a partnership with China--would be prohibited by law in sharing this information with them willingly. The second problem we have, frankly, is here at home. We have these large multinational U.S. companies that have very valuable intellectual property and technology that partner with Chinese firms. They know their intellectual property is going to be stolen, but they don't care. They don't care, No. 1, because they are not going to pay the full cost of the loss of this intellectual property. It is going to be borne by the entire country. A great example of that would be a CEO or business executive who knows they are only going to be at the company for x number of years. They make the decision: I don't care if they are going to steal our intellectual property. I want to have access to the Chinese market because it is 1.4 billion people. That is going to allow us to sell a bunch of stuff there. Our profits will go up. I am going to look good in the quarterly reports and look good before the board of directors. Who cares if this harms the United States? My obligation is to the corporation and not the country. That is their view. In fact, many of these CEOs of large multinational companies consider themselves to be citizens of the world before they consider themselves to be citizens of the United States. They are willing to turn these things over because by the time we are hurt by it as a nation, they are long gone; by the time they are hurt by it as a company, they are long gone, but they are going to have some pretty good quarters as they expand into the largest market in the world, and their shareholders and board of directors are going to be very happy about it. That is a big problem. Just because a company has their address in the United States, does not mean they consider themselves to be American companies. Of course, this is a big problem among many large multinational corporations that are doing business there and know exactly what is going on but are more interested in the short-term profits than the impact on our national security. The solution I propose to that problem in this law is to increase taxes on multinational corporations on the income they earn in China. The tax would be increased equal to the amount of the lost value of the stolen intellectual property or technology. So if we lost $1 billion, there would be a $1 billion increase in that business's profit that they made in China through that partnership. It does this by imposing a tax rate of 2 percent--roughly equal to what the Trade Representative's office estimates is the cost of lost intellectual property as a percent of total corporate profits in China. The third problem we have is that China--and I mean China, both its sovereign wealth management and individuals who made a lot of money, directed by the government, in many cases--has gone on a buying spree of U.S. debt--meaning Treasurys, stocks, and even real estate. My hometown of Miami is one of the places being heavily invested in now to increase their trade surplus and to weaken the U.S. economy. You say how? Let me give you an example. After China rose to the World Trade Organization, it had all this excess capital resulting from its large surpluses. That drove them to take that excess capital they were making now that they were part of the WTO and invest it in the United States in real estate, for example. Here you have people coming in and paying for real estate above the value of the property, driving up prices. It is one of the things that helped fuel the housing bubble. You can only imagine that if the property next door, the building next door, or the luxury condominium units next door are sold at a price higher than what the asking price might be, you are driving up the market for everyone. But they do this over and over again. This cheap financing of our debt, this buying up so many of our Treasury notes because there is such demand for our debt, our yield--the amount of interest we pay back to the investor--is lower. The result is it is one of the things that has driven our national debt here. It has been easy to borrow because it has been cheap. What is the solution? The solution is to update the income tax treaty that was signed in the 1980s and that taxes China's profits on these investments, including their holdings of the national debt at a preferential rate for what it would be for anybody else. What my law would do is make withholding taxes on China's investment income revert to what the law is for everyone else. For example, the U.S. payor would withhold the greater amount of tax on distributions to Chinese payees, so whatever income they are making from the debt, from the stocks, from the assets they bought in the United States and they have invested in--whatever they are making on it, they would pay taxes on that income the same as anyone else would, as opposed to under a preferential rate from the 1980s. This is important because among the things that all of this surplus investment does in the United States, it increases the value of the dollar artificially. They did that when they were manipulating the currency. The stronger the dollar, the weaker our exports, the more expensive it is to buy something in the United States than somewhere else. The currency fluctuates as a matter of course through economic engagement. This is the deliberate manipulation of our currency. This is one of the byproducts of this. Taxing the income they make on those investments the same as anybody else would have to pay--and not this preferential rate--would help bring some balance to that. One additional problem we want to address is that the Chinese Government's Made in China 2025 plan is a plan to displace advanced American manufacturing, and they intend to do that no matter what it takes. Let me give you an example. Made in China 2025 targets artificial intelligence and next-generation information technology. They target robotics. They target new energy vehicles. They target biotechnology--meaning biopharma, biologics--in terms of curing disease. They target energy and power generation. They target aerospace, which is not just airplanes and space travel. They target high-tech shipping, advanced railway, new material, agricultural machinery. These advanced, high-tech industries are supposed to be the competitive advantage of the United States in the 21st century. What I am talking about is not protectionism. If this were a fair competition of these technologies versus them, that is what free markets are supposed to do. That is not how they are doing it. The way they compete with us in these industries--in addition to stealing our secrets and buying up the companies that are up in the supply chain--is to deny our companies access to their markets, but they want full and unfettered access to ours. What is the solution? The solution is to prepare duties on and impose Chinese investor shareholding caps on U.S. companies producing goods targeted by Made in China 2025. This bill would do this by defining Made in China 2025 as a countervailable subsidy for American industries affected by Made in China 2025 exports, thus reducing future demand for Chinese exports in these industries. We have to raise the prices of the products they are stealing from us; otherwise, they will put our industries out of business, and our children will live in a world where we depend on China for artificial intelligence, for robotics, for new energy vehicles, for aerospace, for biopharma. Can you imagine living in a world where the cure to Alzheimer's is controlled by Chinese pharmaceutical companies--the amount of leverage it would give them geopolitically? If they reach that plateau because they outhustle us, that is one thing. But to get there by stealing what we produce, by denying our companies the ability to sell over there but asking us to allow their companies to sell here--that is not competition; that is theft. That is an imbalance that needs to be addressed. We will also have the SEC block any majority stake acquisition of a listed company producing the component goods in any of these industries--the Made in China 2025 exports--in order to limit their ability to buy up our small companies or buy up enough of a controlling interest in American companies to take them from us. That is the other strategy they have. They go into industries that go under the threshold of what the government looks into, and they buy up percentages of the company or the entire company itself. Then they control what is supposedly an American company, and they own it. Try doing that in China if you are an American. The argument that we should continue to allow them to do it because they are a developing industry is ridiculous. No one can make that argument anymore. That is the argument that has been made for all of these years. There is one last thing we need to do, and it has been on the news a lot lately. The Chinese have tried in the United States and around the world to use their companies involved in telecommunications, particularly Huwawei and ZTE, to infiltrate U.S. networks. Basically how that works is they wanted us to buy components, parts, and equipment from Huwawei and use it for our cell phone networks, our internet networks, our servers and routers--put those in our country. If you are a country that, as a matter of geopolitical strategy, steals--not just spies as normal countries do, but steals intellectual property and corporate secrets to build your economy at the expense of someone else's and you control the routers and the telecom system or enough of it in another country, we are just making it easier for you to steal these things from us. Imagine a major U.S. university conducting research, and their entire back office and all of their computer networks in which it is stored has Huwawei equipment. This would allow the Chinese Government to go into this equipment and use it remotely to extract all of this information. They don't even have to send any spies over here because we have brought them inside. This is a problem across the economy, and that needs to be dealt with in broader terms. In this bill--a bill I have separately introduced with Senator Cotton--we would prohibit the Federal Government or subsidiaries and contractors of the Federal Government from buying telecommunications equipment or services from Huwawei or ZTE. What we cannot afford is to have in our own government--or in companies that are servicing the government--telecommunications equipment and services vulnerable to espionage, either corporate or national security. Let me close with this. There are a lot of big issues going on in the world, and for a lot of people, including myself, this issue is pretty new. I have long been concerned about China's military expansion. They are putting all kinds of missiles now on the islands in the South China Sea. I most certainly have long been concerned about human rights violations--what they have done with Tibet and the way they are bullying people in Taiwan. By the way, just so you know the sort of influence level they have, Marriott Corporation fired an American worker--an American living in the United States, working for Marriott, was fired because they liked a social media post about Tibet. So the Chinese got mad. They told Marriott: You need to correct this. And they fired the employee--this American--because he liked a social media post by mistake about Tibet. Do you know that United Airlines and American Airlines just got a letter from the Chinese Government saying: Unless you change your website so that it says Taiwan-China and not just Taiwan, we are going to start fining you and may take away your ability to fly into China. These are American companies that I hope do not give in. This is happening every single day. Do you know that Hollywood movies are made so that they will be allowed to be distributed in China? Hollywood entertainment is deliberately not making movies or saying certain things in movies-- political things, things that would offend the Chinese Government-- because if they do, they will not let them sell their movies to 1.3, 1.4 billion people. Do you know there are actors, like Richard Gere, for example, who can't make major movies anymore because they can't be distributed in China because he is in favor of Tibet and its independence? These things are happening, and we are arguing about a bunch of other silly things. This is historic. This is the single biggest challenge facing this Nation for the next 20, 30, or 40 years, and we are almost out of time to take it seriously. Just a week ago, I traveled to Latin America. I was in Panama, where the Chinese have built not one but two port facilities on the Panama Canal. Not surprisingly, because of all this investment, last year Panama decided to switch. It no longer recognizes Taiwan. It switched to China. Last week, while I was in Panama, the Dominican Republic announced they have switched. Little by little they are going and using their investments in these countries, first just to get them to derecognize Taiwan but, ultimately, because they are spending so much money in these countries to leverage them, to align their foreign policy to China's in our own hemisphere. We do not want conflict with China. We want parity, stability, reciprocity, and fairness. That is not what we have right now, and we have taken far too long to take it seriously. Now is the time to do it. This is about more than just trade. This is about geopolitics and national security. It will be the defining issue of the century, and the time to take it seriously is now. My bill, which we hope to continue to build on and improve, is our effort to hopefully begin this dialogue and take steps on this very important topic.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor Martin O'Hora, the Highlands County Teacher of the Year from Avon Park High School in Avon Park, FL. Martin says he has always wanted to be a teacher thanks to his parents, who served as teachers for more than 30 years. Their dedication to teaching helped guide him to becoming a teacher himself, and he knew how important it is for students to have a positive influence in their lives. Martin's colleagues and students attest to his commitment as a teacher and coach by noting he is someone they can always come to for advice and help. Martin received this important recognition because he fulfills and exceeds all that is expected from teachers. Martin has been at Avon Park High School since 2014, teaching exceptional student education and algebra before his current resource position at the school, while also coaching the boys basketball team. He started teaching in the district in 2011 at Hill-Gustate Middle School. I would like to extend my best wishes to Martin for his hard work and look forward to hearing of his continued success in the years ahead.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I am pleased to honor Brian Andrews, the Florida Principal of the Year from Lawton Chiles Middle Academy in Lakeland, FL. Brian's colleagues commend him for the innovative ways he has led their school to incorporate innovation and technology into everyday learning. In one of the school's lab classrooms, students use 3D printers to make their computer-created designs come to life. They are then able to use a large spindle device to cut those designs into plywood. Elsewhere on campus, students work on and maintain a hydroponic garden. Brian supports these new ideas for students and gives teachers flexibility in implementing the ideas in their classrooms. Brian instills his trust in his teachers to develop lesson plans and implement technology that benefits all students. Brian firmly believes that, if something is good for the students, and his teachers focus on those needs that, despite the myriad of challenges faced in education, their students will be successful in life. He teaches his students to believe they can do anything and to believe in themselves. Brian received his bachelor of arts degree in English literature and his master of science in education from Hofstra University in New York. He has worked in public education for 22 years and has served as an English teacher and administrator. I would like to thank Brian for his dedication in providing students with a successful learning environment and for the support he gives to the teachers. I extend my best wishes to Brian, and his family, and all of Lawton Chiles Middle Academy and look forward to hearing of his continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I am pleased to honor Traci Athanason, the Henderson County Teacher of the Year from Spring Hill Elementary School in Spring Hill, FL. Traci believes the most challenging thing about teaching is motivating students who have no desire to be at school. She tackles this challenge by providing fun, engaging lessons and being her student's biggest cheerleader. It has been her belief that, when a teacher builds trust and rapport with their students, every student can achieve success. As a teacher, Traci finds the most fulfilling aspect of her profession is empowering her students to take control of their own learning. Though teaching has its challenges, she is a firm believer in knowing every day is a chance for her to make a difference in the lives of her students. The principal of her school attests that Traci is a problem-solver, an innovator, and a dynamic mentor to multiple first-year teachers on her team. She helps them build their lesson plans and develop their practice. Traci is currently a fourth grade teacher at Spring Hill Elementary School. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in elementary education, along with her master's degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Central Florida. She has taught for 29 years, the last 7 in Hernando County. Her favorite subject to teach is writing. I thank Traci for her devotion to educating students throughout her district. I extend my best wishes to her and look forward to hearing of her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. I yield the floor.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor Kayla Bailey, the Gulf County Teacher of the Year from Wewahitchka Elementary School in Wewahitchka, FL. Kayla possesses a very positive attitude in the classroom and engages her students at a high level. These traits undoubtedly helped contribute to her receiving the Teacher of the Year award. Her colleagues attest that Kayla works hard to learn the needs of every student in order to reach them at their instructional level. Kayla's desire to teach to the best of her ability and treat every available moment as teachable for her students distinguishes her among her peers. Kayla is a fifth-grade English language arts teacher and, although relatively new to teaching and to the district, has quickly gained a reputation for her respect to students, parents, staff, and the administration. I am pleased to congratulate Kayla for receiving this important award and her commitment to teaching her students. I extend my best wishes to her and look forward to hearing of her continued success.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Kerry Adams, the Wakulla County Teacher of the Year from Shadeville Elementary School in Crawfordville, FL. Kerry says the most important life lesson she teaches her students is that, even though things can be challenging, through struggle and desire they can achieve their goals. The growth her students achieve is especially notable because she works primarily with students whose previous year's test scores indicate they are struggling in math and/or reading. Kerry recently had a student who entered her class and struggled with new math concepts. She worked with this student as a dedicated teacher who is committed to their student's success. At the beginning of the school year, he would grow frustrated and not want to correct his work. He settled for failure or less than his fullest potential. Kerry, however, would not settle for anything less than what she knew he could achieve. Later that year, she gave him an assignment and told him she knew this was hard work, but 1 day, he will think back to this moment and appreciate her actions. This student left her classroom scoring on grade level and ready for success in the future. Kerry graduated summa cum laude from Flagler College, earning a bachelor's degree in elementary education and holds the English for Speakers of Other Languages endorsement. She currently teaches math to fifth-grade inclusion classes and has taught all subjects in her 11 years of working with fifth graders. I extend my best wishes to Kerry for her dedication to ensuring her students achieve their full potential. I look forward to hearing of her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Tess Borengasser, the Indian River County Teacher of the Year from Glendale Elementary School in Vero Beach, FL. Tess was honored with this award because of her dedication to not only providing her students with the best educational opportunities possible, but also because she strives to provide her new colleagues with ideas to teach their students as well. When these new teachers come to her school, she is a leading voice in helping them establish a successful curriculum for their students. Tess's students know that, because of her motivation to encourage and educate, they have someone who is looking out for their best interests and will always be a voice they can rely on when needing help with their schoolwork. These students know Tess listens to their needs and will help them become successful in every way she can. Tess was born in Houston, TX, and grew up in Vero Beach. She graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in special education. She currently leads Glendale Elementary School's second-grade team, teaches at the school's afterschool program, and serves as a mentor for new teachers. I am pleased to congratulate Tess for her dedication to teaching her students over the years. I extend my best wishes to her and look forward to learning of her continued success in her future endeavors.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor Bonnie Bresnyan, the Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year from Lewis Elementary School in Temple Terrace, FL. After receiving the Teacher of the Year award, Bonnie said that those who want to make a difference, who want to shape the future, and who want the best for children are the people who teach. She knows these are the people who work in our schools. Bonnie compares her classroom of kindergarten and first grade students to a beehive. She states that all the bees--her students--can and are expected to contribute in some way in making the class a success. Bonnie has also done extensive training for other teachers within the district. According to her, we retain 95 percent of what we learn when we teach it to someone else. From her students to her colleagues, they all can attest that she has a simple message for them: Be the best you can be. Bonnie has been a teacher for 31 years, with 20 of those years in Hillsborough County. She currently serves Lewis Elementary School as a student education specialist. Some of her accomplishments include National Board Certification, 2006-2007 Ida S. Baker Distinguished Educator of the Year finalist, and 2002-2003 Teacher of the Year--Shaw Elementary/ District Finalist. She also trains for the district, mentors new teachers at the University of South Florida, and teaches Sunday School. I would like to extend my best wishes to Bonnie for her hard and look forward to hearing of her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor Chelsea Smith, the Hamilton County Teacher of the Year from Hamilton County Elementary School in Jasper, FL. Chelsea believes it is important to show her students that she cares about them being successful as individuals. Her students come to her from various socioeconomic backgrounds and academic capabilities, but they all seek success. According to Chelsea, her educational philosophy is based on teaching students to learn how to deal with frustrations in order to break the learning barrier. Her students can then work on academically improving oneself to become proficient. Implementation of enrichment opportunities should be incorporated to challenge students once they have achieved mastery of grade level skills. Chelsea says each student has a different mindset for what success means. It is her responsibility to seek out the individual and determine what he or she needs in order to be triumphant. Her students begin class by knowing they will search for whatever opportunity today's class will bring in order to achieve individual success. Every day, once all students are in her classroom, she counts to three, and they recite the quote: I am important. I am intelligent. I will do my best. I will seek opportunity over obligation. Chelsea has a bachelor's of science degree in elementary education and a master of education degree in education leadership education and training management/instructional technology. She has taught fifth or sixth grade since 2013. I am pleased to recognize Chelsea for her dedication to providing her students with the opportunity to be successful. I extend my best wishes to her and look forward to hearing of her continued success.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, when the story of the 21st century is written, there will be a couple chapters about Vladimir Putin's Russia, most certainly chapters about radical jihadists, and perhaps a few chapters on some other things we have yet to fully anticipate. There still remains over 80 years in this century, but there is no doubt that the vast majority of the story about the 21st century will be about the relationship between the United States and China. China-- the most populous nation on Earth, the second largest economy, and soon to be the largest economy on the planet--is a country that cannot be contained. It will be a major factor, both economically and geopolitically, as it should be for a nation of that magnitude and a culture that deep, with such long history. However, there are imbalances developing in that relationship, which I believe are threatening, not just to our Nation but ultimately to the peace and security and the stability of the world. It is on that topic I wanted to come to the floor and speak today and perhaps about some of the things we need to do about it. There was a consensus--which I would admit I, perhaps, from time to time, was a partaker in--that China was a country that would, eventually, as it grew more prosperous, become not just more democratic but more willing to live by the rules the world has conducted itself by since the end of the Second World War. Perhaps I wasn't as strong an adherent to that as some others. I have always been, of course, deeply suspicious of communism and autocratic nations, but there was still the belief that things could work out, and, eventually, at some point, both demographics and economics would force China to accept the benefits and the wisdom of a global economic order that has maintained the peace since the end of the Second World War. That was a terrible mistake. For, in fact, that is not how it has played out. For the better part of 30 years now, China has been allowed to systemically violate all of the rules of fair play in trade and commerce under the guise of saying, eventually, they are going to come around and behave. Not only has it not worked, it has allowed them to accelerate their economic growth to the detriment of American workers, American industry, and economies all over the world. Today, China is 3 years into a plan called Made in China 2025. What ``Made in China'' means, and what it is all about, is China intends to be the dominant power and dominate 10 key sectors of the future economy. They outline what all 10 of those are. Now, if that dominance was the result of being more innovative or spending more money on research or just being better, then we would have little to complain about. It would be on us to become more innovative ourselves and put more money into research and technology and these sorts of things. That is not what it is the product of. It is the product of cheating. It is the massive theft of intellectual property--the largest single transfer of wealth in the history of mankind stolen; stolen because they buy small companies that are developing some key component in a broader technology, and they take it for themselves; stolen because when an American company or any foreign company, for that matter, wants to do business in China and have access to their 1.4 billion people, you have to partner with them. They make you partner with a Chinese company. Your ``partner'' steals your secrets and then they kick you out and now they are your competitor. So think about it. They are able to make all of these advances without paying for them. Imagine if you had a business that was able to grow without having to pay for all the research that went to getting you to that point. This is what they do. It has allowed them to expand militarily, commercially, and economically to the point where we are at the edge of a very dangerous economic and geopolitical imbalance that needs to be addressed. It needs to be addressed now. We are almost out of time because 5 years from now, 6 years from now, or 3 years from now, it may be too late to address this. I want to reiterate what I said at the outset. This is not about containing China, nor is it about crippling China. It is about ensuring that we are going to have stability in the world; a stability in which our companies and their companies can partner, but they need to do so voluntarily; a stability where they cannot steal our secrets; a stability where they cannot violate the rules of trade but benefit from the rules of trade. That is what I hope to address through a new bill called the Fair Trade With China Enforcement Act, which I am introducing today. The first problem we want to address is that China is building its industrial capacity with U.S. intellectual property and technology. I have highlighted how they steal our technology and our intellectual property, and they use it. As an example, General Electric and Honeywell technology is being used in China by one of GE's and Honeywell's competitors. They didn't sell it to them. It was stolen from them. Two American companies had their secrets stolen, and now their competitor in China is using their technology that they spent money and time investing in. The solution to that problem is to pass a law that prohibits the sale of national security-sensitive technology and intellectual property to China. The bill would do this by directing the Department of Commerce to use its export control authority to block military capacity exports and components of Made in China 2025 exports to China. So, basically, the Department of Commerce would look at Made in China 2025. These are the sectors they are trying to dominate, and we would prohibit the sale or the transfer of intellectual property sensitive to those industries. That means American companies--even if they have a partnership with China--would be prohibited by law in sharing this information with them willingly. The second problem we have, frankly, is here at home. We have these large multinational U.S. companies that have very valuable intellectual property and technology that partner with Chinese firms. They know their intellectual property is going to be stolen, but they don't care. They don't care, No. 1, because they are not going to pay the full cost of the loss of this intellectual property. It is going to be borne by the entire country. A great example of that would be a CEO or business executive who knows they are only going to be at the company for x number of years. They make the decision: I don't care if they are going to steal our intellectual property. I want to have access to the Chinese market because it is 1.4 billion people. That is going to allow us to sell a bunch of stuff there. Our profits will go up. I am going to look good in the quarterly reports and look good before the board of directors. Who cares if this harms the United States? My obligation is to the corporation and not the country. That is their view. In fact, many of these CEOs of large multinational companies consider themselves to be citizens of the world before they consider themselves to be citizens of the United States. They are willing to turn these things over because by the time we are hurt by it as a nation, they are long gone; by the time they are hurt by it as a company, they are long gone, but they are going to have some pretty good quarters as they expand into the largest market in the world, and their shareholders and board of directors are going to be very happy about it. That is a big problem. Just because a company has their address in the United States, does not mean they consider themselves to be American companies. Of course, this is a big problem among many large multinational corporations that are doing business there and know exactly what is going on but are more interested in the short-term profits than the impact on our national security. The solution I propose to that problem in this law is to increase taxes on multinational corporations on the income they earn in China. The tax would be increased equal to the amount of the lost value of the stolen intellectual property or technology. So if we lost $1 billion, there would be a $1 billion increase in that business's profit that they made in China through that partnership. It does this by imposing a tax rate of 2 percent--roughly equal to what the Trade Representative's office estimates is the cost of lost intellectual property as a percent of total corporate profits in China. The third problem we have is that China--and I mean China, both its sovereign wealth management and individuals who made a lot of money, directed by the government, in many cases--has gone on a buying spree of U.S. debt--meaning Treasurys, stocks, and even real estate. My hometown of Miami is one of the places being heavily invested in now to increase their trade surplus and to weaken the U.S. economy. You say how? Let me give you an example. After China rose to the World Trade Organization, it had all this excess capital resulting from its large surpluses. That drove them to take that excess capital they were making now that they were part of the WTO and invest it in the United States in real estate, for example. Here you have people coming in and paying for real estate above the value of the property, driving up prices. It is one of the things that helped fuel the housing bubble. You can only imagine that if the property next door, the building next door, or the luxury condominium units next door are sold at a price higher than what the asking price might be, you are driving up the market for everyone. But they do this over and over again. This cheap financing of our debt, this buying up so many of our Treasury notes because there is such demand for our debt, our yield--the amount of interest we pay back to the investor--is lower. The result is it is one of the things that has driven our national debt here. It has been easy to borrow because it has been cheap. What is the solution? The solution is to update the income tax treaty that was signed in the 1980s and that taxes China's profits on these investments, including their holdings of the national debt at a preferential rate for what it would be for anybody else. What my law would do is make withholding taxes on China's investment income revert to what the law is for everyone else. For example, the U.S. payor would withhold the greater amount of tax on distributions to Chinese payees, so whatever income they are making from the debt, from the stocks, from the assets they bought in the United States and they have invested in--whatever they are making on it, they would pay taxes on that income the same as anyone else would, as opposed to under a preferential rate from the 1980s. This is important because among the things that all of this surplus investment does in the United States, it increases the value of the dollar artificially. They did that when they were manipulating the currency. The stronger the dollar, the weaker our exports, the more expensive it is to buy something in the United States than somewhere else. The currency fluctuates as a matter of course through economic engagement. This is the deliberate manipulation of our currency. This is one of the byproducts of this. Taxing the income they make on those investments the same as anybody else would have to pay--and not this preferential rate--would help bring some balance to that. One additional problem we want to address is that the Chinese Government's Made in China 2025 plan is a plan to displace advanced American manufacturing, and they intend to do that no matter what it takes. Let me give you an example. Made in China 2025 targets artificial intelligence and next-generation information technology. They target robotics. They target new energy vehicles. They target biotechnology--meaning biopharma, biologics--in terms of curing disease. They target energy and power generation. They target aerospace, which is not just airplanes and space travel. They target high-tech shipping, advanced railway, new material, agricultural machinery. These advanced, high-tech industries are supposed to be the competitive advantage of the United States in the 21st century. What I am talking about is not protectionism. If this were a fair competition of these technologies versus them, that is what free markets are supposed to do. That is not how they are doing it. The way they compete with us in these industries--in addition to stealing our secrets and buying up the companies that are up in the supply chain--is to deny our companies access to their markets, but they want full and unfettered access to ours. What is the solution? The solution is to prepare duties on and impose Chinese investor shareholding caps on U.S. companies producing goods targeted by Made in China 2025. This bill would do this by defining Made in China 2025 as a countervailable subsidy for American industries affected by Made in China 2025 exports, thus reducing future demand for Chinese exports in these industries. We have to raise the prices of the products they are stealing from us; otherwise, they will put our industries out of business, and our children will live in a world where we depend on China for artificial intelligence, for robotics, for new energy vehicles, for aerospace, for biopharma. Can you imagine living in a world where the cure to Alzheimer's is controlled by Chinese pharmaceutical companies--the amount of leverage it would give them geopolitically? If they reach that plateau because they outhustle us, that is one thing. But to get there by stealing what we produce, by denying our companies the ability to sell over there but asking us to allow their companies to sell here--that is not competition; that is theft. That is an imbalance that needs to be addressed. We will also have the SEC block any majority stake acquisition of a listed company producing the component goods in any of these industries--the Made in China 2025 exports--in order to limit their ability to buy up our small companies or buy up enough of a controlling interest in American companies to take them from us. That is the other strategy they have. They go into industries that go under the threshold of what the government looks into, and they buy up percentages of the company or the entire company itself. Then they control what is supposedly an American company, and they own it. Try doing that in China if you are an American. The argument that we should continue to allow them to do it because they are a developing industry is ridiculous. No one can make that argument anymore. That is the argument that has been made for all of these years. There is one last thing we need to do, and it has been on the news a lot lately. The Chinese have tried in the United States and around the world to use their companies involved in telecommunications, particularly Huwawei and ZTE, to infiltrate U.S. networks. Basically how that works is they wanted us to buy components, parts, and equipment from Huwawei and use it for our cell phone networks, our internet networks, our servers and routers--put those in our country. If you are a country that, as a matter of geopolitical strategy, steals--not just spies as normal countries do, but steals intellectual property and corporate secrets to build your economy at the expense of someone else's and you control the routers and the telecom system or enough of it in another country, we are just making it easier for you to steal these things from us. Imagine a major U.S. university conducting research, and their entire back office and all of their computer networks in which it is stored has Huwawei equipment. This would allow the Chinese Government to go into this equipment and use it remotely to extract all of this information. They don't even have to send any spies over here because we have brought them inside. This is a problem across the economy, and that needs to be dealt with in broader terms. In this bill--a bill I have separately introduced with Senator Cotton--we would prohibit the Federal Government or subsidiaries and contractors of the Federal Government from buying telecommunications equipment or services from Huwawei or ZTE. What we cannot afford is to have in our own government--or in companies that are servicing the government--telecommunications equipment and services vulnerable to espionage, either corporate or national security. Let me close with this. There are a lot of big issues going on in the world, and for a lot of people, including myself, this issue is pretty new. I have long been concerned about China's military expansion. They are putting all kinds of missiles now on the islands in the South China Sea. I most certainly have long been concerned about human rights violations--what they have done with Tibet and the way they are bullying people in Taiwan. By the way, just so you know the sort of influence level they have, Marriott Corporation fired an American worker--an American living in the United States, working for Marriott, was fired because they liked a social media post about Tibet. So the Chinese got mad. They told Marriott: You need to correct this. And they fired the employee--this American--because he liked a social media post by mistake about Tibet. Do you know that United Airlines and American Airlines just got a letter from the Chinese Government saying: Unless you change your website so that it says Taiwan-China and not just Taiwan, we are going to start fining you and may take away your ability to fly into China. These are American companies that I hope do not give in. This is happening every single day. Do you know that Hollywood movies are made so that they will be allowed to be distributed in China? Hollywood entertainment is deliberately not making movies or saying certain things in movies-- political things, things that would offend the Chinese Government-- because if they do, they will not let them sell their movies to 1.3, 1.4 billion people. Do you know there are actors, like Richard Gere, for example, who can't make major movies anymore because they can't be distributed in China because he is in favor of Tibet and its independence? These things are happening, and we are arguing about a bunch of other silly things. This is historic. This is the single biggest challenge facing this Nation for the next 20, 30, or 40 years, and we are almost out of time to take it seriously. Just a week ago, I traveled to Latin America. I was in Panama, where the Chinese have built not one but two port facilities on the Panama Canal. Not surprisingly, because of all this investment, last year Panama decided to switch. It no longer recognizes Taiwan. It switched to China. Last week, while I was in Panama, the Dominican Republic announced they have switched. Little by little they are going and using their investments in these countries, first just to get them to derecognize Taiwan but, ultimately, because they are spending so much money in these countries to leverage them, to align their foreign policy to China's in our own hemisphere. We do not want conflict with China. We want parity, stability, reciprocity, and fairness. That is not what we have right now, and we have taken far too long to take it seriously. Now is the time to do it. This is about more than just trade. This is about geopolitics and national security. It will be the defining issue of the century, and the time to take it seriously is now. My bill, which we hope to continue to build on and improve, is our effort to hopefully begin this dialogue and take steps on this very important topic.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I am pleased to recognize Rebecca Caskey, the Citrus County Teacher of the Year from Citrus Springs Elementary School in Citrus Springs, FL. Rebecca believes students need a curriculum that teaches skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship building, and responsible decision-making that will provide the tools to succeed in school, their future careers, and in life. Rebecca is encouraged when she witnesses students authentically apply and communicate newly learned concepts and behaviors with peers in new constructs and environments. These opportunities motivate her to continue developing challenging, engaging, and rigorous learning experiences for children that leave a lasting impact into adulthood. Rebecca has taught physical science, biology, environmental science, and general math skills in secondary education and has provided guidance and counseling services in elementary education. She also provides therapeutic services to children in the private sector. Rebecca currently teaches K-5 with a self-made program titled SEEK UP, promoting Self-Esteem, Empathy, and Kindness by Unifying Peers. As a member of Citrus Springs Elementary School's administrative team, she serves in a leadership capacity by creating and executing decisions benefiting the advancement of the school's overall culture. Rebecca holds a bachelor's degree in animal science, a master's degree in counseling, and has a license for mental health counseling from the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage, and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. Throughout her 14 years in the educational system, she has worked at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. I would like to thank Rebecca for the good work she has done for her students over the years. I wish her the best and look forward to learning of her continued success in coming years.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Sarah Anne Elizabeth Oravec, the DeSoto County Teacher of the Year from Arcadia, FL. Sarah received the Teacher of the Year award for her exemplary enthusiasm, innovative teaching approaches, and genuine concern for education. Her dedication to achieving excellence has earned her an enviable reputation as an excellent teacher and coach who truly cares about people and is generous with her time. Sarah demonstrates the highest level of professional commitment and competency in her work with students and colleagues. Sarah has been a valued teacher in the DeSoto school district for more than 3 years and 5 months as the District ESOL Instructional Coach. Her positive attitude, hard work, and respect for children is a true asset to DeSoto County. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Sarah and look forward to hearing of her continued success in the years ahead.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor 1SG Terry Walker, the Jefferson County Teacher of the Year from Jefferson K-12 Somerset School in Monticello, FL. Terry has been a valued member of the Jefferson County School District for 9 years as the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps instructor. He is a favorite among students and staff because he leads by example. His students trust his judgement and know he is someone that is dedicated to guiding them through school. Terry's students respect him for the type of mindset he brings to the classroom. Those who have spent time with Terry describe him as a teacher who is dedicated to making sure his students reach their full potential, whether with the JROTC or in their academic careers. Terry's colleagues and students are proud to have him represent both Jefferson County and Jefferson K-12 Somerset School as Teacher of the Year. I am pleased to extend my best wishes to Terry for the dedication he has shown to his students and look forward to hearing of his continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Mariah May, a fall intern in my Orlando, FL, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Mariah May is a student at the University of Central Florida, where she majors in political science. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to her for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Paola Ramos, a spring intern in my Orlando, FL, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Paola is a student at the University of Central Florida, where she majors in legal studies and minors in criminal justice. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to her for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.